Kensington Palace Releases Wedding Day Itinerary

Kensington Palace announced details for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding on May 19. The ceremony is due to begin at 12 pm GMT at St George’s Chapel. The Dean of Windsor will conduct the ceremony, while the Archbishop of Canterbury will officiate as the couple makes their vows.

The wedding service will begin at 12noon at St George's Chapel. The Dean of Windsor will conduct the service and The Archbishop of Canterbury will officiate as the couple make their vows. pic.twitter.com/dTS56fy22c

The ceremony itself, which is expected to be televised, will last roughly one hour. The couple will then leave the Chapel and take a carriage ride through the town of Windsor, returning to the Castle via the Long Walk. This will be akin to the carriage ride many may remember that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge undertook when they traveled from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace back in 2011, albeit of a shorter distance.

Back at the Castle, a private reception will be held in St George’s Hall, while later in the evening the Prince of Wales will host another private reception that may well include additional guests who did not attend the ceremony itself.

Following the service, there will be a reception at St George's Hall for the couple and the guests from the congregation. pic.twitter.com/t6P95lJyZC

It’s unclear where Meghan will stay the evening before the ceremony, but it’s very possible that, as with Kate, our first sight of her on the big day will be en-route to the Chapel. Also like the 2011 wedding, the afternoon and evening receptions won’t be televised or photographed with a view to release images, though if Meghan does make a gown change, we might get a sneak peak as we did with Kate’s second Alexander McQueen.

There’s no official word on the guest list, though the scheduling of the ceremony will theoretically allow William to attend the FA Cup finals as expected later in the day, while multiple outlets are reporting that Sarah, Duchess of York will attend the wedding in some capacity – whether that includes the ceremony or just the reception is unclear. Furthermore, it’s been reported that the matter of inviting the Obamas and not the Trumps was raised, however where the Palace ended up on the issue is unclear.

William and Kate at the 2017 BAFTAs

In the meantime, we’re due to see Harry and Meghan tomorrow when they undertake a number of engagements in Edinburgh. William and Kate appear to be taking the week off, though they’ll be back in the spotlight on Sunday to attend the BAFTAs. The latest controversy on that front is whether Kate will support the Time’s Up movement by wearing black as most actresses are expected to do. As a member of the Royal Family, Kate is not supposed to espouse political views in public, however not doing so in this case will likely garner criticism and make her stand out rather noticeably.

If I had to put money down on the issue, I’d say that Kate’s dress will at least veer in the direction of black. The movement isn’t associated with a particular political party and given the Royal Family’s work on behalf of women – particularly the patronages of the Duchess of Cornwall – I’m not sure it’s too outlandish to suggest they’re firmly against sexual harassment and assault.

Then there’s the pure common sense of the matter – if there would be an issue with Kate wearing black that evening, and given the tenor of the public conversation, I’d be surprised if the Palace would confirm her attendance. It’s an easy event for her to miss, particularly given her pregnancy, so I think her presence that evening means they’re prepared to play ball. Regardless, we’ll find out for ourselves on Sunday – fingers crossed it’s not another floral Erdem!